Brazoria County, Texas
Brazoria County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas located on the Gulf Coast within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Its county seat is Angleton, and its largest city is Pearland. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 241,767. History Brazoria County, like nearby Brazos County, takes its name from the Brazos River, which flows through it. Anglo-Texas began in Brazoria County when the first of Stephen F. Austin's authorized 300 American settlers arrived at the mouth of the Brazos River in 1821. Many of the events leading to the Texas Revolution developed in Brazoria County. In 1832, Brazoria was organized as a separate municipal district by the Mexican government, and so became one of Texas original counties at independence in 1836. Stephen F. Austin's original burial place was located at a church cemetery (Gulf Prairie Presbyterian) in the town of Jones Creek, but was more recently exhumed and brought to the state capital in Austin. Also, the town of West Columbia served as the first capital of Texas, dating back to pre-revolutionary days. Brazoria County constitutes the southern tip of the Cancer Coast, so named by doctors at the Texas Medical Center in Houston and members of the local media. Brazoria County resembles both rural and suburban life as it is part of the Greater Houston area. Brazoria County in recent years is seeing a surge in urban sprawl in the past two decades. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,137 km² (1,597 sq mi). 3,591 km² (1,386 sq mi) of it is land and 547 km² (211 sq mi) of it (13.21%) is water. Major Highways * State Highway 6 * State Highway 35 * State Highway 36 * State Highway 288 Adjacent counties *Harris County (north) *Galveston County (northeast) *Matagorda County (southwest) *Wharton County (west) *Fort Bend County (northwest) Demographics As of the census² of 2000, there were 241,767 people, 81,954 households, and 63,104 families residing in the county. The population density was 67/km² (174/sq mi). There were 90,628 housing units at an average density of 25/km² (65/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 77.09% White, 8.50% Black or African American, 0.53% Native American, 2.00% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 9.63% from other races, and 2.22% from two or more races. 22.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 81,954 households out of which 40.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.20% were married couples living together, 10.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.00% were non-families. 19.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.23. In the county, the population was spread out with 28.60% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 32.40% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 8.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 106.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $48,632, and the median income for a family was $55,282. Males had a median income of $42,193 versus $27,728 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,021. About 8.10% of families and 10.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.60% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over. Elected officials United States Congress Texas Legislature Texas Senate Texas House of Representatives NOTE: There was a runoff to be held in January, 2007 between two Republicans to determine the representative for the seat in House District 29. Communities Cities Towns *Holiday Lakes *Quintana Villages *Bailey's Prairie *Bonney *Hillcrest *Iowa Colony *Jones Creek Unincorporated areas *Amsterdam *Damon *Rosharon *Wild Peach Village Education A variety of school districts serve Brazoria County students. They include: * Alvin ISD * Angleton ISD * Brazosport ISD * Columbia-Brazoria ISD * Danbury ISD * Damon ISD (K-8) * Pearland ISD * Sweeny ISD Alvin Community College and Brazosport College serve as Higher education facilities. Brazoria County Library System is the county library system. External links *Brazoria County government's website *Brazoria County Museum Website *Brazoria County FireFighters Association *Brazoria County article in Handbook of Texas Online from The University of Texas at Austin. *Historic materials about Brazoria County, hosted by the Portal to Texas History * Alvin Youth Bowling Program Category:Counties of Texas Category:Brazoria County, Texas Category:Greater Houston Category:Established in 1836